On November 11, 2026, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Luong Hoang Thai met with Eduardo Antonio Ramírez Castro, Venezuela's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, to discuss bilateral cooperation and preparations for the fourth session of the Viet Nam - Venezuela Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Cultural, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation.  

The Venezuelan delegation included Estela del Valle Quijada Suárez, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Venezuelan Embassy in Viet Nam, along with representatives from various departments under Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Representing Viet Nam were officials from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, including the Department of Foreign Market Development and Multilateral Trade, the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency, and the Energy and Petroleum Agency, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the beginning of the meeting, Deputy Minister Luong Hoang Thai, on behalf of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, warmly welcomed his Venezuelan counterpart and the delegation on their visit and working trip to Viet Nam.

Highlighting the positive developments in the comprehensive partnership between Viet Nam and Venezuela, Deputy Minister Luong Hoang Thai welcomed the two sides' agreement to convene the fourth session after a prolonged interruption in the Intergovernmental Committee cooperation mechanism. He affirmed that the session would provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress of bilateral cooperation and, more importantly, identify appropriate directions for cooperation in light of the countries' evolving circumstances.

Venezuelan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Eduardo Antonio Ramírez Castro expressed his sincere appreciation for the goodwill and support of the Government and people of Viet Nam. He spoke highly of the friendship, solidarity, and close ties between the two countries over the years, while emphasizing the importance of the fourth session of the Viet Nam - Venezuela Intergovernmental Committee in identifying priority areas for substantive cooperation within their comprehensive partnership.

This is particularly significant as the two countries prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of their comprehensive partnership in 2027.

The Venezuelan Deputy Minister proposed that the two sides consider expanding the scope of the Intergovernmental Committee to cover new areas, including national defense and security, telecommunications, and healthcare, to advance comprehensive cooperation in line with the socioeconomic development objectives of both countries.

Both sides agreed to work toward convening the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee at an appropriate time in Caracas, Venezuela, focusing on the key pillars of cooperation outlined in the Viet Nam - Venezuela Bilateral Agenda for 2026 - 2030.

In 2025, bilateral trade between Viet Nam and Venezuela reached USD 54 million. Vietnamese exports to Venezuela totaled USD 46.8 million, while imports from Venezuela amounted to USD 7.2 million. Viet Nam's main exports included textiles and garments; vehicles and spare parts; computers, electronic products and components; and textile fibers and yarns. Venezuela exported a relatively limited range of products to Viet Nam, primarily seafood, agricultural products, timber and wood products, and textile and garment materials.

Under the Framework Agreement on Cooperation signed on July 31, 2006, between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the two countries established the Intergovernmental Committee as a bilateral cooperation mechanism. To date, three sessions have been held: the first and second sessions took place in Caracas in August 2008 and April 2012, respectively, while the third session was held in Ha Noi in March 2015.

During Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung's working visit to Venezuela, the two sides adopted the Viet Nam - Venezuela Bilateral Agenda for 2026 - 2030, covering the following pillars of cooperation: political and diplomatic affairs; security and national defense; agriculture and food security; energy security and oil and gas; economic, trade, and investment cooperation; telecommunications, technology, and healthcare; and culture, tourism, sports, and communications.